KARACHI, Jan 1: The city government will establish a Rs120 million modern ophthalmology institute stretched on an area of 2.5 acres in Nazimabad with the cooperation of the SAARC Foundation (UK). An agreement to this effect will be signed between the two sides on January 3.

Dr. I. H. Kirmani, President of the foundation and a former Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Complex, met the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, here on Wednesday and discussed details of the project. Aqueela Athar, the City Counsellor and a member of Health Committee, was also present during the meeting.

The Nazim said that he had recently appealed to the people for their cooperation in health sector following which he took the decision to establish a modern institute for the cure of eye diseases. He told Mr Kirmani that the city government had allotted a 2.5-acre land and also donated Rs20 million in order to get the construction work started immediately. He held out the assurance that another amount of Rs80 million would be made available later for the procurement of machinery and equipment for the institute which would have 80 beds in the first phase.

Describing the project as ‘Sadqa-i-Jariah’, Naimatullah Khan said the institute would be a gift from Dr Kirmani for the people, especially Karachiites.

He repeated his appeal to the philanthropists in Karachi to come forward and help establish such health project in the city. He said that people would remain indebted to those who would respond to his appeal positively and donate generously.

He said that Dr Kirmani, contributing greatly to the welfare of his fellow countrymen, had set a good example for other expatriates to follow.

Mr Khan expressed the hope that the work on the institute would start soon after the signing of the agreement on Friday.

He said the institute would be the second major project of its kind established by the city government, the first one being the Cardiovascular Institute in Federal B Area. —APP